Brotherhood of Nod
The Brotherhood of Nod (often shortened to "Nod" or the "Brotherhood") is a popular, global, religiously developed movement devoted to the guidance of the elusive and charismatic figure of Kane, and the extraterrestrial Tiberium substance that arrived on Earth in 1995. Although Nod surfaced in 1995 at the time of the substanc e's arrival, before this date, the Brotherhood was an ancient and secret society claiming to have originated prior to 1800 BC. Reported beliefs include that Kane is an immortal prophet whose guidance dates back through their alleged millennia of secrecy, and that Tiberium is the catalyst for the next stage in human evolution. Nod is linked to the three Abrahamic traditions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, but its followers do not belong to any of these three traditions. While almost all Nod activity is concerned with complex economic, military and scientific foci, its religiously articulated ideology drives this. Sometime after the arrival of Tiberium, Nod was targeted as a terrorist group by the Global Defense Initiative for actively using the dangerous Tiberium substance to fund a military-industrial complex in impoverished regions, primarily Africa, and pursue total domination over the world's peoples and resources. Thereafter, Nod faced off against GDI in two Tiberium Wars in the original Tiberium universe, and the New World Order after the timelines are merged. Aliases of the Brotherhood The organization is also known as "The Brotherhood, The Ways of Nod, or ShaÆSeer among the tribes of Godan." While the word 'Godan' existed prior to the Brotherhood, it is unknown which meaning of the term is specifically referred to, so the exact meaning is still unknown. The name 'Brotherhood of Nod' may have come from the Hebrew word Noded (נודד) which means wanderer, and is also the verb of the word Nod. It may be referring to the biblical Land of Nod, to which Cain is exiled: "Cain went out from Yahweh's presence, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden." Symbols of the Brotherhood The symbol of the organization is a black-rimmed red chamfered triangle enclosing a black curved scorpion's tail. Fact Sheet Creation Founded at an unknown date. Earliest alleged activities date back to the First Red War. The Brotherhood claims that they were formed around 1800 B.C Classification Original Tiberium Universe 1995 (First Tiberium War): 'Violent non-state actor, combining the characteristics of a supranational corporation, a religious movement and a terrorist group. '''2030 (Second Tiberium War): '''A global violent non-state actor, centralised religious cult and military alliance. Merged Timeline '''1973 (New World Order): '''Global superpower, combining the characteristics of a nation state, a religious movement and a multinational corporation. ' ''' Mandate '''1995 (First Tiberium War): Nod's official goal was to unite third-world nations under a pseudo-religious political platform with imperialist tendencies. In reality, the faction was an aggressive and popular anti-West movement vying for total domination of the world's people and resources. 2030 (Second Tiberium War) and 1973 (New World Order): '''To destroy GDI and embrace Tiberium as the future of humanity. Base of Operations: '''1995 (First Tiberium War): Temple of Nod in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Cairo, Egypt. Before the central headquarters was identified, Nod was believed to have no central command base, instead operating from multiple individual locations, with posts previously identified in Kuantan, Malaysia; the Ar-Rub' al-Khali desert, Saudi Arabia; Tokyo, Japan and Caen, France. 1999-2030 (period between First and Second Tiberium War): Command centers of Generals Hassan and Vega. 2030 (Second Tiberium War) and 1973 (New World Order): Temple of Nod at Cairo. Field command posts include the Montauk and an undisclosed bunker used by General Slavik during the Firestorm Crisis. Political Strength: 1995 (First Tiberium War): Nod was believed to back a number of officially-recognized political parties. Among the ones recorded by UN document A42962-94 are the'' Fist of Allah'' party in Jordan, the United We Stand party in the United States, and the Albion First! party in the United Kingdom, among others. 1999 - 2030 (period between First and Second Tiberium War): Tensions within the faction and dissolution of leadership caused Nod to fracture into several warring shards, centered around charismatic leaders. As such, the Brotherhood lost much of its political power and was easily infiltrated by GDI spies. 2030 (Second Tiberium War) and 1973 (New World Order): Immense charisma of Black Hand leader, Anton Slavik unify Nod by defeating Hassan under Kane's command. Economic Strength: 1995 (First World War): According to CIA Docket 3231.54-776 FIA, audits of seized financial files shows that Nod had US$255.2 billion in their operation assets. Because Nod controlled a large portion of the world's Tiberium supply, they were at the forefront of Tiberium research, and possessed incredible leverage in financial operations such as on the London Gold Exchange. 1999 - 2030 (period between First and Second Tiberium War): Insignificant. Fractured and broken, Nod splinter groups cannot challenge GDI's vast industrial power. 2030 (Second Tiberium War): The reemerging, united Brotherhood suddenly controls much of the world's Tiberium supply, again. 1973 (New World Order): Multiple Tiberium mining operations provide them with needed funding. Military Strength: Before the outbreak of the First Tiberium War, the most accepted idea was that it was yet another minor terrorist faction but when a scandal broke out involving major American defense contractors, it was discovered that Nod had substantial military air, sea and land power. Nod forces are composed of guerrillas from affiliated organisations, mercenaries and conscripts from the territories Nod controls, as well as Nod-indoctrinated pseudo-religious fanatics. Nod has significant WMD capabilities, including nuclear-equipped ballistic missiles. Known Affiliate Organizations or Associates 1995 (First Tiberium War): Irish Republican Party, Khmer Rouge, various Nod splinter groups. 2030 (Second Tiberium War): '''Brief alliance with GDI during the Firestorm Crisis. Known affiliation with some members of the Forgotten. '''1973 (New World Order): '''Breif alliance with GDI and the Allies to defeat Yuri (presumed). Historical Overview While they claim to have been around since before 1800 BC, it is commonly believed to be an exaggeration. However, there are several pieces of evidence, among them an ancient burial site featuring Nod symbolism, that substantiate this hypothesis. Nod's chief asset is its near monopoly on the Tiberium harvesting industry. Due partially to chance, the alien organism arrived via meteor impact near the Tiber river in Italy and thus the genesis of the name Tiberium. Kane, the leader of the Brotherhood, claims that it was the Brotherhood who found it first and that he named it after Tiberius Caesar Augustus. Tiberium spreads quickly and thrives in temperate to warm conditions. Many of the poorer countries straddling the equatorial regions were hit hardest by the rapidly-spreading substance. The Brotherhood, being anti-Western, tapped into these suddenly-rich nations for substantial control of the Tiberium market. At the time of the First Tiberium War, Nod controlled almost half the world's Tiberium supply at 49%. Compare this with the lackluster 27% controlled by the G7 nations (sponsors of GDI), and the remaining 24% in the hands of unaffiliated nations. The Brotherhood also always maintained a strong support from the population, through propaganda and other means. Members of Nod were encouraged to convince people to join the ranks (i.e. via www.brotherhoodrecruitment.nod) as well as propagate their ideals. Nod looks at Tiberium very differently than its main enemy, GDI. Whereas GDI treats Tiberium as a dangerous but economically valuable product as well as a scientific anomaly, the Brotherhood sees it as the dawn of a new age entirely. Moreover, Tiberium is considered by Nod to be the greatest catalyst for human evolution, and thus a highly sacred substance. As such, they are much more willing to directly use Tiberium in potentially unsafe ways. First Tiberium War In the First Tiberium War the Brotherhood first launched an expansive campaign that eventually allowed it to take over most of Africa and launch a second campaign in mainland Europe. When GDI managed to take the initiative, to gain more support, Kane devised a plan to blame GDI for the slaughtering of the population of Białystok, Poland. Afterwards, Nod broadcast a fake news report claiming that GDI soldiers razed the whole town on suspicions of the citizens being involved in Tiberium smuggling. The broadcast created a scandal that forced the United Nations Security Council to cut GDI funding pending an investigation, causing the GDI to apparently almost shut down. Kane however was unaware that this 'scandal' was used by GDI and the UN, and as Nod forces arrived they encountered heavy resistance from "abandoned" bases. Since the incursions into GDI territory caused Nod forces to be spread very thin, GDI not only repelled the attacks, but took large areas of Nod territory during their counterstrikes, giving them the decisive advantange in the first conflict. Kane himself was believed to have been killed at the final stand of the Brotherhood near Sarajevo. With GDI forces closing in, Kane calmly attempted to exit his 'Temple of Nod' through the front door. However, as he gazed upon the ruined hallway the entire temple was suddenly bathed in the light of GDI's Ion Cannon. Kane was seemingly vapourised by the discharge, holding his arms out wide. Second Tiberium War Following the First Tiberium War, the death of Kane caused the Brotherhood to factionalise into small armies. For quite a long time, they fought more against themselves than against GDI. It is known that one of Nod's most influential leaders, General Hassan, was collaborating with GDI, keeping Nod relatively harmless. Unfortunately for Hassan, the Black Hand leader, Anton Slavik escaped an execution attempt, and rallied his forces against Hassan. The puppet leader was captured, and executed in a ceremony marking Nod's reunification. To the astonishment of many Nod personnel, Kane revealed himself to be alive shortly before Hassan was killed. Nod immediately launched an aggressive war against GDI positions, including assaults on Phoenix Base and Hammerfest. Nod also captured the Tacitus, a data matrix filled with vast knowledge about Tiberium. With it, Kane had planned on detonating a World Altering Missile, transforming all carbon-based life on Earth into Tiberium-based life. 16 However, with assistance from the Forgotten, the Global Defense Initiative managed to defeat Nod once more. Commander Michael McNeil, the GDI commander who led the assault on Cairo, discovered that Kane did not survive the Ion Cannon strike unharmed. Large portions of his face were hidden under a metal mask, covering what appear to be massive burns. This was particularly surprising, as all transmissions from Kane to both Nod and GDI showed a flawless face; a fact explained by CABAL digital filtering of raw images. McNeil apparently killed Kane by impaling him with a shard of metal. Firestorm Crisis The Firestorm Crisis started with General Slavik arguing with the rest of the Inner Circle of the Brotherhood over leadership issues in the wake of Kane's apparent death. He ordered his men to recapture CABAL, a move which he believed will help reunite Nod while at the same time allowing Nod to compete with GDI. The Black Hand recovered the AI, but shortly after CABAL's reactivation the computer seized control of all Nod Cyborg units, and assassinated the Inner Circle. Commander Slavik, who alone managed to escape the death that claimed the other generals, ordered all Nod forces to evacuate from CABAL's cyborgs. Slavik assists in this evacuation by maneuvering the Montauk to a Nod installation and recovering the survivors. Slavik then ordered a surgical strike against a massive GDI air force base to recover an EVA unit, which he had reprogrammed to assist Nod forces. With Nod's forces lacking the manpower or intelligence to beat CABAL alone, General Slavik approached GDI General Paul Cortez with a cease-fire offer so that they could work together against CABAL. Since GDI forces were also under considerable strain, Cortez agreed, and both sides began attacking CABAL's auxiliary bases, in Nod's case a Tiberium harvesting facility. With CABAL's auxiliary bases down, Slavik deployed members of the Elite Cadre, the best of his Black Hand troops, to clear out a patrolling Cyborg team before Nod established a base and launched an offensive against CABAL. Ultimately, GDI and Nod forces were able to destroy the CABAL Core. Slavik claimed victory against the single greatest threat to the Brotherhood. New World Order When Yuri was thrown into the Psychic Isolation Chamber, the Tiberium Universe was merged with the Red Alert universe. Kane and his officers saw that some parts of the world are changed after encountering a Chrono Fusion, thus Kane and his Brotherhood escaped to collect information about recent events before Michael McNeil's GDI force arrived. Shortly after hiding in somewhere else, Nod returned as a great superpower. Details of Nod Philosophy During the First Tiberium War the Brotherhood of Nod was widely regarded by its detractors and opponents to be a quasi-state, quasi-terrorist organisation seeking to unite the third-world nations under a religious political platform with imperialist tendencies. According to the group's own claim they were a religious Brotherhood of ancient origin which strived for a world of 'peace', 'unity' and 'eternal brotherhood' in which all the peoples of the world could 'face the struggles of life as one', and that human society's full embracement of the alien substance of Tiberium was the key to this revolution. In official statements, Nod specifically stated that it wished to unify the developing countries of the world that have been ignored, abused and neglected by the industrialised nations. Nod's modi operandi during the First Tiberium War however revealed it to be a highly-aggressive and popular, anti-West movement vying for total domination of the world's peoples and resources. During the Second Tiberium War, Nod's religious viewpoints began to place a much larger emphasis on the concept of 'Divination', a process through which all followers of Kane were promised the means to embrace the 'Tiberian future of Humanity' and subsequently flourish in every imaginable aspect. At the end of the Second Tiberium War the true nature of the Brotherhood of Nod's 'Great Plan' would eventually reveal itself as the complete transformation of all carbon-based life on Earth to Tiberium-based life, through the launch and detonation of a world-altering Tiberium warhead within the planet's upper atmosphere. Their defeat at the end of the war and Kane's disappearance have brought a change in doctrine, further emphasizing Nod as a religion. The Ascension was defined as the final goal of the Great Plan, while religious dogmas began putting even greater emphasis on venerating Tiberium as divine. The Brotherhood releases numerous guidance files to help brothers learn the philosophy and Ways of Nod. They are part of the Nod religion and existed as far back as the First Tiberium War. Indeed, the quasi-religion of Nod was well developed back in 2002, as rituals and peculiar masses were all regular parts of a daily life of a Brother of Nod. At least part of Nod philosophy includes the idea of "Peace through Power," which is somewhat ironic considering this is precisely the mandate of their sworn enemy, GDI, at least in its original form, as the organization was founded essentially for the purpose of maintaining world peace through the use of force. First Tiberium War philosophy details Below are two excerpts from First Tiberium War-era PR material, detailing Nod philosophy in the early 21st century: : ''does the Brotherhood exist'' : As long as man has had breath the Brotherhood has existed. For from the beginning - when man's struggle was with nature, not knowing where he might sleep, how he would eat, or whether he would survive to see the light of dawn - there have always been those who would lord over others. People who believe that they, by some unseen right, are granted power over others, and would push others down so they might climb, are the greatest threat to mankind's existence. For many years has one man or one race prospered on the sweat and work of others. : Such injustices are not just a sin against mankind, but also a sin against God. The Brotherhood had its beginnings with the first downtrodden who looked for a better way. These oppressed sought a path that would allow them to gather fruits of life and achieve enough resources and wealth that they and their families could survive and advance with the rest of mankind. : ''to act''' : ''With the unstoppable growth of Tiberium across the Globe, most of it occurring in nations friendly to the Brotherhood, our time has come. The vast wealth and resources gained from Tiberium have given us the ability to come into the open and challenge our antagonists face to face. Across the Globe, GDI and Nod forces now clash in a titanic struggle that will decide the fate of mankind for all time. The GDI hides behind the façade that they are here to help the free nations in their struggle against those they would name terrorist. We in the Brotherhood know the truth. Our fight is for all mankind, not for those cherished few. The Brotherhood puts emphasis on the collective, rather than the individual. However, individuals are not written off when killed as a mere casualty, instead, they are revered as martyrs for their cause (audio file from a TW1 Hand of Nod memorial shrine): : This memorial stands as a symbol of eternal life, in remembrance of the dead. These brave souls sacrificed their lives to strengthen The Brotherhood, so we might live on and carry their names proudly with us. We remember also our ancestors, who came before us and gave us life. Blessed be these names, for they are our kin, our blood. May they stand proudly forever, and in time become ancestral themselves. Remember your mourning moment of silence, for the lost but not forgotten. Nod aesthetic Interestingly, ancient laws of the cult forbid making anything in the image of man, prompting non-humanoid forms and aesthetic to dominate Nod art and architecture. Very rarely does the dogma allow for ignoring the rule - one notable exception is the Voice of Kane, intended as a manifestation of the Prophet's presence on the battlefield. Internal power structure The structure of the Brotherhood is hierarchical, shaped much like military orders of ages past (e.g. Knights Templar), with the leader of the Brotherhood being Kane, who is aided by the Inner Circle, his most trusted lieutenants and commanders. The hierarchy then branches out as each Inner Circle commander has his subordinates, who in turn command others, eventually arriving at the bottom, where the rank-and-file members are. The Brotherhood however, maintains a military doctrine that intends to give commanders and soldiers large degrees of freedom in categories of engaging the enemy and tactics. Essentially, only objectives were given and the means to achieve them were left to the commander to decide on. Within Nod, smaller, more elite organisations are active, such as the Black Hand. Each organisation has their own combat doctrines and exclusive technologies, available to affiliated commanders. The internal politics of the groups are unknown, though the Black Hand has played a large role throughout the Tiberium Wars. It has to be noted, that the Brotherhood and it's members are extensively monitored by security and each other. The AC-NBM directive being one of the examples. Power struggles The Brotherhood of Nod has a long history of internal power struggles. Rivalry between commanders and subordinates was commonplace, and even encouraged; however, Kane ensured that the struggle did not undermine the primary Nod effort or endanger his position, if need be by removing the dangerous man (as was the case with Seth). When Kane disappeared from the power structure, however, the lack of a strong leader caused the Brotherhood to dissolve into factions and engage in a civil war, seeking to dominate the others. As was evidenced by the years after the First Tiberium War and the Firestorm Crisis, a strong leader is able to take control of the Brotherhood and reshape it into an even more powerful organization, ready for the reappearance of Kane. Military Doctrine The Brotherhood's military is centered around the concepts of stealth and speed, preferring outmaneuvering their enemies, hit-and-run attacks, guerrilla tactics and subterfuge. The armory of the Brotherhood consists primarily of lightly armored, fast vehicles with average firepower, which can outmaneuver and flank the opponent. Long-range weaponry is also prevalent, including the surface-to-surface missile launchers or large caliber artillery designed to deliver immense amounts of punishment to the opponent without exposing themselves. Because of a general lack of direct firepower compared to GDI, and GDI's ability to observe much of Earth's surface due to having space superiority, Nod recognizes that if it becomes necessary to defend their bases in a direct engagement their units will be generally outgunned; to counter this Nod makes extensive use of underground facilities, tunnel networks, and stealth technology to avoid detection. If a base is found, Nod can bring to bear strong base defenses, particularly their feared Obelisks of Light. The Brotherhood tends to avoid direct engagements, as their main battle units are significantly less powerful than their counterparts (the light tanks can challenge GDI medium tanks only with numerical superiority), preferring fast, surprise attacks with packs of Attack Bikes or Stealth Tanks striking vulnerable, unprotected parts of enemy infrastructure or long range bombardment with artillery and ballistic missiles. The Brotherhood tends to send cyborgs to defend their bases from Yuri's psychics. Technology Level In various ways, the Brotherhood of Nod has always been technologically superior to GDI, the Allies and the Soviet Union but in par with Yuri's army --the PsiCorps. It is not fully known how Nod achieved such a state of unique technological superiority, though it is often linked to their access to and study of allegedly alien technology, and their monopoly on Tiberium, which provided them with vast amounts of wealth, both financially and scientifically. The Brotherhood has constructed, owned, and operated many state-of-the-art research institutes, and hired out research teams globally. Oftentimes, these institutes and related facilities were kept highly secret, and hidden from academia and especially from national and international bio-ethics committees. A contributing factor for Nod's lead in Tiberium research is that, in general contrast to GDI, whose research tends to focus on removing Tiberium from Earth or safely using it as a resource, Nod puts an emphasis on using Tiberium to improve humans biologically and technologically as much as possible, whether it is for military or industrial use. The general prevailing belief in Nod is that Tiberium exists as an extraordinary tool, not GDI's view that it is a biohazard and plague to Earth's ecosystem that threatens natural life. This is evidenced by technologies Nod developed such as a program to forcibly evolve humans using Tiberium and an attempt to launch a missile that could potentially cover Earth's surface in Tiberium. Routinely speculative and occasionally unsafe human experimentation, generally performed upon Nod scientists and "volunteers", is commonplace at Nod research facilities. Some technologies Nod has devoted particular attention to include: *weaponisation of lasers *directed energy weaponry, bioweapons, chemical weapons *nuclear weapons *subterranean vehicles and technologies *advanced robotics *artificial intelligence *various theoretical possibilities for antigravity *stealth technologies such as light-bending electromagnetic fields *advanced and sustainable power generation *reprogenetics *cybernetics and its offshoot, brain-machine interfaces. This is in addition to a great deal of research of Tiberium and alleged extraterrestrial technology, which was often, though not necessarily, crossed-over with the aforementioned fields for various purposes. Important Nod Members *Kane *NKVD Cheif Nadia *Seth *Anton Slavik *Oxanna Kristos *CABAL *Vega *The Inner Circle Category:Factions Category:TS Factions Category:Nod (Category)